• The POTUS hits back.
• Will it pass today?
• Some questions and answers.
• Thanks, Blue Dogs!
• I blame the unions.
• No, wingnuts, Obama is not continuing Bush’s rendition policy.
• Republican congressman: GOP should emulate Taliban.
• But…but…only tax cuts create new jobs.
• But…but…the only oil left is right offshore.
• Why didn’t Bush respect the Presidency?

Finally on the offensive

Elvis – Jail House Rock.

What’s on your mind tonight?

The stimulus bill is making “conservatives” run around like screeching idiots for two reasons. First, that’s what they do. Second, if it can be shown that the government can actually do things, then there’s no point to conservatism — which, of course, there isn’t.

The Politico reports that the Senate’s so-called “moderate” block thinks the best way to stimulute the economy is to cut about $90 billion from the Senate bill’s spending side, and perhaps take it out of state spending for education. Are they nuts?

Let’s keep the Abramoff taint out of the Obama Cabinet, shall we?

Two good ideas are better than one. Even if one of them comes from Lamar Alexander.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals just ordered Federal Health Insurance Benefits for same sex married couples.
The LA Observer reported today that the ruling by Judge Stephen Reinhardt says the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally denies benefits to gay federal employees’ spouses.

According to Collins, R-Maine, the group achieved an “in-depth scrubbing of the bill, going line by line item by item.”

Emerging from the meeting for a midday break, Sen. Joe Lieberman said the group of Democrats and five Republicans were at a “breakthrough” moment.

Chris Hayes writes about the battle lines growing in the Obama administration between the center-right neoliberals, led by Larry Summers, and the labor-friendly liberals like Melody Barnes.  Summers, he says, is winning handily
Summers has already come to dominate the White House economic policy shop. One person close to Obama’s economic team told me that on economic policy, “it’s looking like it’s Larry’s show.” This leaves a disconcerting vacuum in the